1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS - More Than Meets The Eye

Alexis DeJoria is not what you would expect.

It makes sense that Alexis DeJoria's most treasured ride, in an exceptional personal collection, is the quietly badass '67 Chevelle SS she coveted and saved for until she could make the purchase at the age of 17.

At first glance, it is easy to discern that this raven-haired nitro Funny Car driver is one tough chick, but get a little closer and Alexis DeJoria’s laid-back, California vibe starts showing. The tattooed sweetheart is as complex as they come, the perfect blend of non-intrusive and outgoing, intimidating and respectful, and kind-hearted in personality – until, of course, it's time for a little friendly competition. Then she gets a little mean.

"Where I grew up in Southern California, a lot of guys in high school had old hot rods, and most of them were Chevys," she explained. "They had Bel Airs, Novas, Chevelles, Impalas – you name it. One of the guys who street-raced had a black '67 Chevelle, and I wanted it so bad. When I could, I paid $7,000 for it. Once it was mine, I wanted to make it as original as possible."

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In keeping with this goal, the vintage Chevy, flawlessly painted with a hue of DuPont's black by Greg Seid with bodywork done by Greg and Ramiro at Auto Creations, is rich in OEM parts and pieces. The grille, front and rear bumpers, and SS hood are all OEM.

Attention to detail certainly didn't stop there; this 1967 Chevy Chevelle has been through a complete frame-off restoration. The frame, body, and all parts were media blasted and powder coated inside and out, and all factory lead was removed at the seams with metal plates crafted and welded in its place. At the same time, a custom smooth firewall was added to complete the package. Sherm's Custom Plating in Sacramento was responsible for the chrome, Precision Stripping in Lodi managed the powder coating, and all stainless work and polishing was done at Auto Creations.

This '67 Chevelle SS was an original big-block car, but there was a (non-original) 454 under the hood when Alexis finally got her hands on it. The engine was old and tired though, and it had been pushed to the max. The car sat for about a year before the first major overhaul, when it received the first of three builds that would include a new 454 crate engine. Most recently, a massive 498 cubic-inch big-block Chevy was machined, ported, and assembled by Nick Bastiao over the course of a year and now occupies a generous amount of real estate in the engine compartment. The horsepower? A cool 534 at 7,100rpm. Torque maxed out at 540 ft-lbs at 6,200rpm.

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Bored to 4.372-inches and stroked to 4.150, the internally balanced and blueprinted engine has Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads fully ported by Bastaio that flow 375cfm at .650-inch lift. It features an ARP stud kit, 2-piece Manton pushrods, and Mahle pistons with a 9.1:1 compression ratio for pump gas. The crankshaft was manufactured by Bryant, and the camshaft – with a carefully guarded, super-secret spec card – is from Bullet. The Cloyes roller timing chain and solid Isky lifters complete the valvetrain. An Edelbrock intake manifold that was also finessed by Bastaio sits atop the 498.

"Oh, it's really stout," grinned Alexis. "It's a mean machine, and I wouldn't change anything. On many occasions, I've been sitting at a red light and a European sports car pulls up next to me. I rev my engine, so do they, and it's on. Needless to say – they end up backing down every time."

The wicked powerplant is capped off with Billet Specialties aluminum valve covers, and everything runs smoothly thanks to lubrication from a Titan oil pump with a 9-quart Moroso oil pan. The CSR water pump and the Be Cool two-row aluminum radiator maintain a just-right temp. Chuck and John at East Coast Electric hooked Alexis up with an alternator, and air/fuel mixture is lit by a locked-out MSD distributor.

Check out this 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS that has a Holley 750-cfm carburetor, Edelbrock manifold, and more. Read more about this Chevelle SS only at www.chevyhiperformance.com, the official website for Chevy High Performance Magazine! » Read More